To show you how the times they are a changin’, the NFL now has three official sports betting partners.
Those three sportsbooks are Caesars Entertainment, DraftKings and FanDuel. The partnerships were announced on Thursday afternoon and are the first for the NFL.
As ESPN noted, the partnerships are for five years and are worth just shy of $1 billion. ESPN added that the revenue structure of the deals were not tied to the outcome of bets on league games and was comparable to other partnerships. ESPN also added that the NFL has exit options at the end of the third and fourth years.
As a part of the deal, each of the sportsbooks are allowed to integrate with NFL content, either on the website or the NFL app.
According to the press release, FanDuel will also work with the NFL on pregame integration for the seven regular season games on NFL Network this season.
To show you how far the NFL has come on sports betting, Commissioner Roger Goodell said this just four years ago at the owners meetings in Phoenix:
“I think we still strongly oppose (among ownership) legalized sports gambling. The integrity of our game is No. 1. We will not compromise on that.”
Now, Goodell and the NFL have three official sports betting partners.
As Renie Anderson, NFL chief revenue officer and executive vice president of NFL partnerships, said in the release from FanDuel:
“As the sports betting landscape has continued to evolve in the United States, we have been thoughtful with our strategy and are excited to announce three partners who share the NFL’s vision and goals.”
Broncos sports betting deals
It’s not just the NFL looking to get a piece of the sports betting pie, teams from across the league are picking up their forks.
There’s no greater example of that than the Denver Broncos.
The Broncos have clearly gone all-in on Colorado sports betting and gaming.
The franchise was the first in the NFL to establish partnerships with sportsbooks.
- FanDuel and the Broncos teamed up for the first-ever NFL franchise sportsbook deal.
- Betfred and the Broncos have plans for the first on-site betting lounge on the south end of Mile High.
- BetMGM and the Broncos have plans for an in-stadium betting lounge at Mile High.
As of a few weeks ago, the organization is also now in the esports realm with plans to potentially build a state-of-the-art gaming center. While there is no esports betting component included with Denver’s partnership with Esports Entertainment Group, it shows how the times are a changin’.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt when a lot of money is involved.
As Matt King, CEO at FanDuel, said in the release:
“On Superbowl Sunday we got a glimpse at how powerful the combination of the NFL’s excitement and our platform can be in delivering an enhanced fan experience. This partnership provides our shared customers with a new level of innovation and unmatched premium content directly within our platform ultimately enhancing every gameday.”
